A Doctor’s Advice: ‘How Can I Lose This Winter Weight?’

The holidays are a joyful time of year. They tend to be full of family, holiday parties, presents… and a whole lotta food. Between Thanksgiving mashed potatoes and Christmas cookies, there’s a good chance you indulged in lots of sweet or carb-y treats toward the end of last year; in fact, you may have continued to eat warm, homey carbs throughout the entire cold season. But when spring rolls around, you might find yourself still holding onto a little extra weight, and feeling desperate to be rid of it. How can you get your carb cravings under control and lose some of that winter weight? Here, our experts provide a tip.

Q: I indulged in lots of carbs this winter and now I can’t stop craving them. How can I ditch these cravings and shed this extra weight?

A: We know how hard it can be to get carb cravings under control — and drop those added winter pounds to boot. That’s why we recommend supplementing with chromium, which may help attenuate weight gain. While this trace mineral can reportedly balance blood sugar, control appetite, and burn fat, many American diets are low on chromium. Supplementing chromium, though, has been reported to increase lean body mass and decrease percentage body fat, which can lead to weight loss. Researchers in a Duke University study even noticed their patients had a significant drop in carb cravings after taking a chromium picolinate supplement.

Try taking 500 mcg. of chromium nicotinate or chromium picolinate twice daily. These are the two forms that are best absorbed by the body. One to try: Solgar Chromium Picolinate 500 mcg.

Meet our experts

Nutrition experts Mira Calton, CN, and Jayson Calton, PhD, are leading authorities on nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. They are also the bestselling authors of Rebuild Your Bones: The 12-Week Osteoporosis Protocol (Buy from Amazon, $22.99). To ask them a question, send an email to health@firstforwomen.com.